Sling attachment hardware for firearms

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to improved hardware used to secure slings to firearms. In particular, to hardware used to secure slings to firearms like that of the M16A2 and M4 Carbine that are fitted with a Picatinny type rail and collapsible buttstock. An improved wedge/yoke assembly is used to secure one end of a sling to the firearm on a rail. The improved wedge/yoke assembly is designed to be installed quickly with the use of simple tools without modification to the firearm. The improved wedge/yoke assembly is adjustable to compensate for varying slot depths found on Mil-Spec 1913 rails. This hardware used in conjunction with other suitable sling attachment hardware allows for ambidextrous attachment of a tactical sling to the firearm giving the user a “hands free” capability.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the field of hardware used to secure slings to firearms.

BACKGROUND—FIELD OF INVENTION

Devices have been developed to attach slings to Mil-Spec 1913 rails. Most of these devices attach in such a way that forces exerted upon the assembly are distributed unevenly causing undue wear to the rail and breakage of the device itself. Rotational and/or quick detachable swivels used on these devices allow the sling to twist which is not desirable when using a sling for tactical purposes. The device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,598,330 distributes forces evenly to the rail and does not allow the sling to twist but lacks certain adjustability characteristics that make its use on Mil-Spec 1913 rails problematic.

BACKGROUND—DISCUSSION OF PRIOR ART

The forward mounting hardware disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,598,330 is a simple wedge/base configuration designed to secure the assembly to an accessory mounting rail by force exerted on the wedge from the sling attached either directly or with an interface such as a split ring.

The use of the split ring is a weak point of this embodiment as it cannot support excessive force placed upon it in a tactical environment. By design, the top portion of the wedge must be small enough to slide through the base attached to the rail. One embodiment disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,598,330 shows a sling hook attached directly to the top portion of the wedge. While this is desirable as it eliminates the weak split ring, in reality it cannot be accomplished due to the size of the sling hooks currently available on tactical slings. The size of the wedge needed to make direct attachment possible would require a substantially larger base. The increased size of the base would add to the weight of the assembly making it impractical for use on a tactical firearm.

Another disadvantage of the forward mounting hardware disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,598,330 is that this design relies on a rail that is manufactured to exacting tolerances, especially the depth of the slot. The Mil-Spec 1913 rail currently being used by the military has slot depths that vary widely. In order to accommodate this variance in slot depths several wedges would have to be provided to the user to find one that would be most suitable on a given accessory rail.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An improvement of sling attachment hardware, more specifically forward attachment hardware, that attaches to a Mil-Spec 1913 rail, where the base includes an adjustment screw and the wedge is incorporated into the extended projection of an eyelet.

OBJECTS AND ADVANTAGES

One object of our invention is to provide improved sling attachment hardware that is readily adaptable to a wide range of “NATO” firearms currently fitted with a Rail Adapter System (RAS) such as the M4 Carbine, Modular Weapon System and CQBW. The preferred embodiment of our invention would be manufactured to military specifications providing durable balanced mounting points on the weapon. The preferred embodiment will also be easily installed by the user with the use of a simple tool, such as a coin or the rim of a cartridge case, and will require no disassembly of the weapon past the user level. This will enable the user to easily configure his weapon for a variety of missions. The hardware will be ambidextrous and/or reversible by design to accommodate either left or right handed users. A further object of our invention is to provide sling attachment hardware that provides mounting points that will not interfere with the controls or accessories of the weapon. The mounting points provided by our invention can be oriented closer to the torso of the user and closer to the receiver to free-up the ends of the weapon for unhindered use in CQB environments. Another object of our invention is to provide rail mounting hardware that is adjustable to compensate for varying slot depths of Mil-Spec 1913 rails currently being used by the military.

Further objects and advantages of our invention will become apparent from a consideration of the drawings and ensuing description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will now be described further by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a cross-section view of the improved preferred embodiment attached to a RAS rail;

PRIOR ART is a partial cross-section view taken along line 19-19 of FIG. 1 of U.S. Pat. No. 6,598,330, showing the preferred embodiment attached to a RAS rail.

REFERENCE NUMERALS IN DRAWINGS

2 base 23 dovetail 43 threaded plug 4 wedge 24 RAS (rail system) 44 stop recess 5 slope edge 26 rail 45 shoulder 7 orifice 27 standard recess 46 wedge cut 13 bottom 39 sloping slot 47 apex 17 leading end 41 slot 48 eyelet 21 hole 42 threaded hole 49 plug slot 50 key 51 improved base

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT—ASSY. OF IMPROVED FORWARD MOUNT FIG. 1

FIG. 1 shows the locking relationship of key 50 with rail 26 and improved base 51. A bottom 13 of key 50 runs along standard recess 27 in the direction of arrow “C” until wedge cut 46 interferes with apex 47 of threaded plug 43 which is connected to improved base 51 by way of a threaded hole 42. This action forces improved base 51 away from rail 26 causing dovetail 23 of improved base 51 to securely engage rail 26 and lock threaded plug 43 in place. Variance of slot depths can be accommodated by tightening or loosening threaded plug 43 with a coin or rim of a cartridge case placed in plug slot 49. Shoulder 45 of threaded plug 43 abuts stop recess 44 of improved base 51 when threaded plug 43 is unscrewed sufficiently to allow for removal/insertion of key 50 through slot 41 of improved base 51 mounted on rail 26 to eliminate the possibility of loss of threaded plug 43. When key 50 is pulled in the direction of arrow “C” the assembly is tightened with force evenly distributed on rail 26 to which it is attached. Therefore, the assembly is self tightening when the weapon is being supported by a sling directly attached to eyelet 48 of key 50 by a hook or other means attached to the sling.

While the description above contains many specificities, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the invention, but rather as an exemplification of one preferred embodiment thereof. Many other variations are possible. 

1. Hardware for attaching a sling to a firearm, comprising: A yoke type base configured to slideably attach to a connecting rail; a slot on one side of said base; a threaded hole on the opposite side of said base; a threaded plug; a key having a wedge cut for insertion into said slot to bind against said threaded plug connected to said base to securely attach said base to said connecting rail, said key having an eyelet to allow for direct attachment of a sling to said firearm:
 2. Hardware according to claim 1, wherein said threaded plug includes a shoulder to prohibit inadvertent removal of said plug.
 3. Hardware according to claim 2, wherein said base includes a recess for accepting said shoulder of said threaded plug.
 4. Hardware according to claim 1, wherein said key includes a slot for directly attaching a sling.
 5. Hardware for attaching a sling to a firearm, comprising: A yoke type base configured to slideably attach to a connecting rail which includes an eyelet; a slot on one side of said base; a threaded hole on the opposite side of said base; a threaded plug; a key having a cut parallel to its bottom for insertion into said slot to bind against said threaded plug connected to said base to securely attach said base to said connecting rail. 